Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I own the HP Envy 6455e All-in-One in addition to the HP Envy 6055e All-in-One. The only real difference between the two is that the HP Envy 6455e has an auto-document feeder and supports mobile fax. Other than that, it's the exact same printer with the same basic features such as print speed, setup process, and day-to-day use. If you are use to printers that have auto-document feeders, or if you need to scan documents frequently, I recommend the HP Envy 6455e All-in-One instead. I've been setting up HP printers for years now. I work in IT and I can confirm that the setup process for HP printers has actually gotten worse with the implementation of HP Smart. HP Smart is the application required to setup your printer and it's the app you'll use to access print functions such as camera scanning, printer scanning, photo and document printing, copying, and shortcut setup. Before HP Smart, you'd typically use direct WIFI to setup your printer and download the drivers from HP's website. Nowadays, HP makes the model-specific driver download impossible to access from their website, unless you use a universal HP printer driver (google this if interested), which may or may not work and may or may not allow you to use all of the printer's features or advanced functions. So with that said, let's dive into the pros and cons of this printer. Pros ✅ Beautiful exterior design; aesthetically pleasing and doesn't mess with your room's design or flow ✅ HP+ extends the warranty of your printer and offers lengthy trial of HP Instant Ink for FREE ✅ HP Smart app for Android or iOS is actually quite useful (except for the setup process) for mobile printing ✅ Once setup, the printer is easy to use and manage on a day-to-day basis ✅ HP Instant Ink can potentially save you a great deal on ink costs if monitored properly. For example, if you print 60 pages per month, you can subscribe to the $4.99/month toner subscription plan which allows you to print up to 100 pages per month. In two months, when your ink is out, HP will ship you new ink and you will have only paid $10 over two months. This monthly subscription plan, if used consistently all year, will run you $60 annually which is the BEST price I've seen thus far and I've evaluated a few options. ✅ If not using HP Instant Ink, the price of a fresh set of genuine HP black+tri-color ink is $29.99 which is a reasonable price. You can double the yield (print twice as much) with a fresh set of genuine HP 67XL black+tricolor for only $38.99 which is a much better price. If printing 60 pages per month, and using standard cartridges, this will run you about $30 every two months or $180 annually. Using XL cartridges, it'll cost $38.98 every four months or $120 annually. Cons ❌ Printer setup is painful and without expertise and/or persistence, it can be a huge obstacle for the average user to setup ❌ HP Smart requires account registration before you can setup you printer for use ❌ HP Instant Ink requires that you understand how much you print on a regular basis; if you sign up for a plan because it's cheaper on a monthly basis but it does not cover your print volume, you will be looking at "overages" for printing more than the amount your plan covers ❌ HP+ is only available for 6 days after the initial setup of the printer which means means you could potentially lose out on an additional year of warranty and a lengthy trial of HP Instant Ink if you don't sign up for it during the setup process and then forget to sign up for it over the next 6 days ❌ Black ink cartridges (HP 67) when printing text-based documents only (i.e. no pictures), will last for approximately 120 pages. High yield blank ink cartridges (HP 67XL) will last for approximately 240 pages. Neither cartridge prints enough in my opinion so there's little value in purchasing OEM ink outside of HP Instant Ink. ❌ You can NOT use third-party manufactured ink EVER with your printer if you plan to use HP Instant Ink; genuine HP ink is required to use this service ❌ Cost to purchase third-party manufactured ink is INSANE; it will not save you money to use non-OEM ink in this printer ❌ Costs to print using genuine HP ink is equally insane; you are better off using the HP Instant Ink subscription plan (and yes, I know, who needs more subscriptions?) Let's talk about the setup process because it's hands-down the largest obstacle to the use of this printer. DO NOT: 🚫 Use your phone to setup this printer. As of this review, you'll get midway through the process only to be told that you need to be on a Windows or Mac device to complete setup so it's a complete waste of time 🚫 Leave the proximity of your printer until the printer setup is completely finished DO: ✅ Register for an account on HP Smart's website (not HP, HP Smart) PRIOR to printer setup to make the setup less painful ✅ Use a Windows or Mac laptop that has bluetooth capabilities; be prepared for the setup process to tell you that a Mac isn't compatible (don't worry, it is) for printer setup ✅ Use a Windows or Mac laptop that is connected to the SAME wifi network as the printer (stick with 2.4 GHz) if bluetooth is not available on your laptop ✅ Sign up for HP+ (free) at the start of printer setup to double the length of your warranty and claim a lengthy trial of HP Instant Ink ✅ Use only genuine HP ink unless you plan to never use HP Smart Ink or HP+ ✅ Purchase paper PRIOR to setup or you'll be stuck midway through setup when prompted to print an alignment page and can't because you don't have paper Once you unbox the printer, use the included power cable to plug it in. Grab your Windows or Mac laptop and confirm that Bluetooth is turned on. If bluetooth is not available, connect to the 2.4 GHz wireless network (as opposed to the 5 GHz). Download HP Smart from the App Store or from the Windows store. Once downloaded, open HP Smart on your laptop. From there, sign into your HP Smart account (or create one and then sign in if you didn't do this before hand) and select Add a Printer after sign-in is complete. If prompted to enable bluetooth, then enable bluetooth. If prompted to use the direct-wifi network, follow the instructions. You should be able to see a printer listed that you can select to setup if the bluetooth or wireless setup instructions were followed carefully. Once you select that printer, you should be directed to sign up for HP+. This is free, will extend your warranty coverage to 2-years rather than just the standard 1-year, and will give you a lengthy free trial of HP Instant Ink. Trust me, you're going to want that extra year of warranty coverage as it will come in handy. You can always cancel HP Instant Ink if it's not for you. Toss some paper in the printer tray, install the print cartridges (can only be done with the printer powered on), and print+scan the alignment page when prompted to do so. This should wrap up the printer setup and allow you to use the printer. The setup process is going to take you 30-60 minutes to unbox the printer, remove all the tape, install the paper (not included) and cartridges, connect the printer to the network, and print an alignment page. However, since I finished the printer setup, I haven't had to mess with the printer or its settings and I find that the printer is relatively easy to use on a day-to-day basis. I try not to rate a product based on one aspect and consider the whole product as it pertains to cost and value so for that reason I gave it four stars and removed a star for the printer setup process and the cost to print on a monthly or annual basis. In general, it's expensive to own and use a consumer-grade printer and the important thing to remember is that yes, this printer is only $129.99, but you'll spend at least that much purchasing genuine ink over the next 1-2 years (depending on which ink solution you select) so the true cost of the printer is much more than the advertised $129.99. Keep that in mind, use the printer responsibly, and you should be able to balance the costs and convenience associated with owning a printer.